Recipe Of The Month Lemon Shortbread Cheesecake
Ingredients: 7 ounces Trefoil cookies 2 tablespoons plus 1 tsp. finely grated fresh lemon zest( from about 3 lemons), divided 1 cup sugar, divided 12 ounces fresh, mild goat cheese 10 ounce cream cheese 1 1 / 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest 1 / 2 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs 8 to 10 medium strawberries, stemmed
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 325 °. Crumble cookies into a food processor and pulse until finely ground. In a medium bowl, toss 2 tbsp. lemon zest with 1 1 / 2 tbsp. sugar. Add cookie crumbs and mix well. Butter sides of an 8-in. pan with removable rim and press cookie mixture into bottom; bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in pan.
2. Lower temperature to 275 °. In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat goat cheese and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add remaining lemon zest, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, the orange zest, 3 / 4 cup sugar, the sour cream, and the vanilla; beat well. Scrape bowl and add eggs; beat well.
3. Pour batter onto crust and bake about 1 hour, or until set on the sides but still quite jiggly in the center and only slightly sticky. Turn oven off, crack oven door, and let cake cool in oven 2 hours. Remove and let cool completely; then chill, covered, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
4. Run a thin knife between cake and rim of pan and remove rim. Thinly slice strawberries, then toss with remaining 2 1 / 2 tbsp. sugar and lemon juice. Arrange on cake.
Makes: 12 servings approximately